Grand Canyon, Yesterday’s News Review
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Grand Canyon is a Los Angeles based band fronted by singer/songwriter/guitarist Casey Shea and vocalist Amy Wilcox. Together they are a powerful united sound. Grand Canyon takes a throwback attitude towards their music, focusing on timeless songwriting, and drawing on the inspiration of the classic sounds and arrangements of the 70s. Their new album Yesterday’s News just hit the ground running and already is proving to be this summer’s heat seeker. The members of Grand Canyon, include Jon Cornell (bass), Darice Bailey (keys/vocals), and Matt Bogdanow (drums), in addition to the already mentioned Shea, Wilcox and guitarist Joe Guese, have collectively sold millions of records, toured the world in their own bands and as sidemen, appeared on countless daytime and late night shows, and had songs that set the scene in numerous television shows and movies. They have graced the stage with everyone from indie folk hero Daniel Johnston to Thai pop sensation Palmy to Celine Dion, played in the SNL house band, and recorded with everyone from Rod Stewart to Linda Perry. They have worked in the studio with Mike Deneen, Brendan Benson, Jamie Candiloro, Dave Schiffman, Steve Albini and more.
Positives:
The band has set out to capture the sound of the 70s with a throwback to solid songwriting and great melodies, along with the freedom of creativity within their music grounded in memorable and singable melodies.
Bottom Line:
Grand Canyon’s Yesterday’s News is a fashionable homage to the groups of the 70s like, Pink Floyd, Buffalo Springfield yet with a lyric focus on modern social shifts and the socio-political climate of the 21st century. From the title track “Yesterday’s News” that takes on social issues with a rock jangle to emissions of “High Time produced by Jamie Candiloro (REM, Willie Nelson) and given a edgy vibe to “It Is What It Is” a synth-flavored rock tune that hits the longest running theme of human life, betrayal. Not remiss in modern tonalities is an acoustic reworking of Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain” which features a fragility evoked by acoustic guitar. In a world filled with overly histrionic sounds, Grand Canyons honest sound is a breath of fresh air in the rock genre. That’s the short of it!